“First run since wind surgery” available to be published on racecards from 19 January 2018

The wind of change is blowing through the horse racing game today after the following Press Release from the BHA.

"WS” available to data suppliersto publish on racecards to
denote that a horse has had “new wind surgery since last performance”from 19 January

Enhanced data to provide openness and transparency for
betting customers, and help generate data for equine health and welfare
research

The British
Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today announced that, as of 19 January 2018,
racecards will be able to carry information that confirms when a horse is
having its first run after having undergone a wind surgery.

This has
been introduced with the needs of the sport’s betting customer as the focus,
and in the interests of openness and transparency. A survey led by the
Horseracing Bettors Forum (HBF) recently found that information on wind
surgeries is the piece of information most requested by the betting public.

As well as
enhanced data for betting customers – and the beneficial impact this will also
have on the integrity of betting markets – this development will also allow the
BHA to collect research data on the nature, frequency and impact of wind
surgeries on racehorses.

Jamie
Stier, Chief Regulatory Officer for the BHA, said:

“The
sport’s betting customers, and potential customers, are at the heart of this
development. It is simply essential that the sport is seen to be open, fair and
transparent. In a modern world, information which may have an impact on a
horse’s performance should be available to all, not only those who are close to
the horse in question.

“The more
data that is available to the betting customer serves to make the sport a more
attractive betting product. It is vital that we keep up with other sports if we
are going to continue to compete in an increasingly crowded betting
marketplace.

“We commenced
consideration of this initiative some time ago as we were aware, anecdotally,
that it was an issue which concerned the betting public. A survey by the
Horseracing Betting Forum which showed that this piece of information was the
punters’ number one issue reinforced the need to act on this matter.

“We are
grateful to the many stakeholders who have shared their views on this issue
through an extensive consultation period.

“Declaration
of wind operations is already mandatory in some other racing nations, and the
BHA are led to believe that other racing nations will also consider following
suit following the BHA’s implementation of the changes.”

David
Sykes, Director of Equine Health and Welfare for the BHA, said:

“Wind
operations are routine surgical procedures which are designed to assist a horse
with its breathing. We have identified a list of five of the most relevant and
frequent surgeries, which we are asking trainers to declare.

“We believe
it is reasonable that the betting customers will take it as read that the
trainer, owner, and their veterinarian will have performed the most appropriate
surgery to address the issue with the specific horse.

“Assumptions
on the impact of the surgery on the horse’s form should rest entirely with the
betting customer. It is understood that not all wind surgeries are
successful…but some clearly are. Because of this, it is our view that the
information should be in the public domain, and the betting customer should be
given the opportunity to assess the value of the information.

“We are
aware of the view that information about wind operations being made public may
have an impact on bloodstock values. However, we place the importance of
openness and transparency above this commercial interest.

“Moreover,
the gathering of data from declared wind operations could be invaluable for
equine welfare research and development in the future.”

Simon
Rowlands, Chair of the Horserace Bettors Forum, said:

“HBF
welcomes this initiative by the BHA and the decisive way in which it has
responded to requests for wind-operation data from a section of the British
horseracing public surveyed by HBF.

“The
requirements asked of the sport’s professionals for declaring wind
operations and the procedures involved in exposing the resulting information to
the public seem reasonable and pragmatic. HBF looks forward to discovering,
along with the wider public, the value that exists in this data once it starts
to be published.”

Declaration of wind surgeries: Details

As of 19 January
2018, racecards will have the ability to display “WS” identifying that a horse
has had “new wind surgery since last performance”.

This means
that WS, when carried in racecards, will only appear for a horse’s first
race start following wind surgery and not for subsequent race starts.

The types
of wind surgery required to be declared are:

Tie back
(prosthetic laryngoplasty)

Hobday
(ventriculectomy/cordectomy)

Epiglottic
surgery

Tie forward
(dorsal displacement soft palate surgery)

Soft palate
cautery

Racecards
carrying “WS” will not display the specific type of wind surgery.

The
declaration of wind surgeries will only be required for horses which have
previously raced, regardless of whether this was in Great Britain or elsewhere. The
declaration of a wind surgery will be required prior to declarations for the
horse’s first race start after it has been subjected to wind surgery. Where a
horse is subjected to wind surgery on multiple occasions the declaration will
be required on each occasion.

The
requirement to declare wind surgeries will apply equally to horses trained in Great Britain and horses trained overseas which
are racing in Great Britain.

In
instances when the surgeries are not declared, and of which the BHA becomes
aware, there will be a framework within the Rules to enable the non-compliance
to be addressed. Non-compliance can be detected through, for example,
accessing horses’ veterinary records, or other information gathered through the
BHA’s regulatory processes.

Other
aspects of data declaration, such as mares in foal, are currently being
considered by the BHA, and further updates will be provided on this front in
the new year.